


Perfect Places

by OctopusQueen



Series: But We’re the Greatest, They’ll Hang Us in the Louvre [3]
Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti)
Genre: Adult Losers Club (IT), Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Bottom Eddie Kaspbrak, Eddie Kaspbrak Loves Richie Tozier, Engagement, Established Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Gay Eddie Kaspbrak, Gay Richie Tozier, Good Parent Maggie Tozier, Losers Club (IT) Friendship, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Oral Sex, Richie Tozier Loves Eddie Kaspbrak, Smut, Top Richie Tozier
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-13
Updated: 2020-05-13
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:28:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24155095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OctopusQueen/pseuds/OctopusQueen
Summary: “Ugghhh… come on, babe. People are waiting for us. This is not the time for one of your spontaneous road trips.”“I just want to show you something,” Richie laid a hand on Eddie’s knee, but kept his eyes trained ahead on the road. “It’ll be really fast, I promise.”Engagement fic set in the universe of But We're the Greatest, They'll Hang Us in the Louvre!
Relationships: Eddie Kaspbrak & Richie Tozier, Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier
Series: But We’re the Greatest, They’ll Hang Us in the Louvre [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1654378
Comments: 9
Kudos: 129





	Perfect Places

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry this one took so long y'all. My amazing proofreader, bebe8s, is ending her semester so she's got a lot going on right now. (Thanks again, and thanks to exercisingpotato as well for always being the first one to look at my ideas and tell me what is and isn't garbage! You're both rockstars!)  
> Title is once again from a Lorde song.

Eddie tucked one of his feet underneath himself, his other foot resting on the wooden floor of the porch in front of Richie’s childhood home. He rocked himself back and forth on the bench swing, listening to the muffled sounds of Richie and his mom talking just inside the house, but unable to make out anything they were saying over the creak of the swing and the buzzing of the insects.

The sun was starting to go down, and now that it wasn’t beating overhead, it was casting a beautiful golden glow over everything, spreading over the porch and reflecting off their rental car in the driveway. It had rained a bit earlier, which had broken the humidity, leaving Eddie feeling comfortable in his jeans and t-shirt.

It was the middle of summer in Maine, and the days were a heavenly 70 degrees, compared to the sweltering heat and humidity he’d left behind in Chicago… it could almost make Eddie understand why someone would choose to live here.

Almost.

They’d all gone back to Derry together: Eddie, Richie, Stan, and Patty from Chicago, Ben and Bev from New York, Bill and Audra from LA, and Mike and his new girlfriend Maddie from Barcelona. They’d all congregated back in their sleepy little hometown for a little ‘Losers Club Reunion’ as Bev was calling it.

They had been trying to get together at least once a year, but it had been almost 15 months since they’d last seen each other, and so much had happened since their last rendezvous. Bill and Audra had gotten engaged, Ben had finally confessed his feelings to Beverly and they were now officially a couple, Mike had moved to Europe for grad school, Stan had been promoted to head of accounting, and Richie and Eddie had recently moved into an honest-to-goodness house together in the suburbs.

Richie had actually been the one to suggest they come back to Derry for their little reunion, which had surprised everyone, but especially Eddie. Had Richie lost his mind? They could go anywhere in the world, why on earth would they go back to their crappy little hometown in Maine of all places? Hadn’t they spent the first half of their lives trying to get  _ out  _ of Derry?

But someway, somehow, Richie had managed to get everyone else on his side, wooing them with romantic ideas of nostalgia. Eddie had still resisted, but it was six against one, and so he eventually found himself on a Maine-bound plane at Chicago O’Hare, arms crossed and grumbling from the moment they boarded to the moment their rental car pulled up to Richie’s old house.

Eddie could never bring himself to say it, but now that they were actually here, he had to admit they had a point. He was seeing the town in a new light now that he was an adult; what had once seemed sleepy and boring now felt almost charming (my God, did this mean he was getting old?). Plus it was fun seeing all their old haunts, and it was exciting for Stan, Bill, and Mike to show their partners around and give them the grand tour.

They’d also never been here as adults, so this was their first experience with the nightlife in Derry, which was scant but lively where it could be found. The previous night had been spent haunting the local dive bars, catching up and talking and laughing, but mainly getting absolutely trashed.

At some point Eddie had ended up out back with Bill, just sitting on a bench and looking up at the stars. Eddie had been captivated by the brilliant night sky; he never saw stars like that back in Chicago, and he’d almost forgotten what it was like to tilt his head back and look up at a sky full of stars.

Bill had felt similarly, and he mused that maybe he and Audra should get married out here instead of in LA. After all, what was more romantic than starlight?

It was only because he was quite drunk and feeling very nostalgic and emotional, but Eddie couldn’t help but cry a little at that.

Almost from the moment he and Richie first got together, Eddie had thought about them getting married; not obsessively, but it was something that was constantly in the back of his mind. For the longest time he’d thought about their wedding: where they would have it, what they would wear, even what kind of tablecloths they’d pick for the reception.

It had been on Eddie’s mind a lot recently since they had just bought a house together; it seemed like such a big step in their relationship, and he felt like it should go hand-in-hand with marriage.

They’d even talked about it in the past, but ever since they’d bought the house, any time Eddie would try to bring up marriage, Richie would get… strangely cagey about it. He’d usually just nervously change the subject or try to distract Eddie until he’d forgotten about it. 

Eddie knew that Richie loved him. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind about it. But seeing the way Richie reacted the last few times he’d brought up getting married… he just couldn’t help but wonder if maybe Richie was starting to have second thoughts. Maybe buying the house had given him cold feet, and now Richie was starting to question the longevity of their relationship, as much as Eddie hated to even think about it.

Or maybe Richie just didn’t want to get married, maybe he’d decided he wasn’t cut out for it. While that possibility hurt a little less, it still stung.

In any case, Eddie had spent the last five years feeling confident that he and Richie were going to get married one day, and now that didn’t seem like it was going to happen. He felt like a rug had been pulled out from under him, sending him scrambling and flailing and unsure of where it was safe to put his feet.

He hadn’t expressed any of this to Bill, but Bill seemed to understand on some level. He put his arm around Eddie’s shaking shoulders and pulled him into his chest, rubbing his back and letting him cry softly until eventually Beverly came out looking for them and Eddie had to quickly wipe his tears and head back inside to his friends.

He’d been quiet in the taxi back to Richie’s house, and that night when they climbed into Richie’s childhood bed, Eddie had turned away from him and faced the wall, only passively allowing Richie to wrap an arm around him from behind.

Still, some instinct within him must have taken over during his slumber, because when he awoke in the morning to the sound of the alarm going off, he was curled up on Richie’s chest with his head tucked under Richie’s chin and an arm wrapped around his waist. Somehow, even when his mind was a jumbled mess of uncertainty, his body knew that he belonged in Richie’s arms, and when he felt Richie pressing gentle, sleepy kisses to the top of his head as he awoke, he almost felt like crying again, but for very different reasons than the night before.

They’d met up with the rest of the gang for a late, greasy breakfast to nurse their collective hangover, and then Beverly had been the one to suggest they go to the quarry, where they ended up spending the rest of the day.

It was so different, being there as adults, in the place where they’d spent so many lazy summer afternoons together as teenagers. Eddie now felt a little trepidation about the cliff jumping. Sure, they’d done it as kids, but what if there were rocks down there now? How fast did rocks move, anyway? Plus, what if Richie lost his glasses on the way down?

And yet, as soon as he was in free fall down the side of the cliff, he suddenly felt like a little kid again, carefree and with his whole life ahead of him. When he splashed down into the cool water, it was a shock to his system, but also a strange comfort. It was like going back to a time of innocence that he’d thought he’d never be able to return to.

They’d spent the afternoon swimming, splashing each other, and wrestling in the water like they were kids, then dried off in the sun before departing to go get ready for dinner.

Eddie was freshly showered, and his skin had a healthy glow to it. He’d always tanned well, but after today his skin was a beautiful golden brown, and he could feel the warmth of the sun radiate from deep within as he rocked back and forth on Richie’s porch, tilting his head back and closing his eyes as a content smile overtook his face. 

He heard the screen door open and shut, then felt the dip on the swing as Richie sat next to him and wrapped an arm around his shoulder, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

“Sorry that took so long, babe.”

Eddie blinked his eyes open, letting Richie’s face come into focus as his eyes readjusted to the late-afternoon light. The golden rays of sunshine were reflecting off his glasses and dancing across his face, which had also gained some color from their day spent at the quarry. 

Eddie leaned in and captured Richie’s lips in a soft kiss; they were a little dry and chapped after a day of swimming and sun, but Eddie still smiled as he moved his lips against them.

He pulled away, looking up at Richie with his big brown eyes full of adoration.

“I love you.”

“I love you too, Eds.”

Richie pressed back in for another kiss, raising a hand up to cup Eddie’s cheek as he took over pushing them back and forth on the swing.

Eddie could feel his heart swell as Richie gave him tender kisses and stroked his cheek lovingly. He hummed happily and rubbed his nose against Richie’s, then nuzzled his way down into his neck to bury his face in the crook of his shoulder, smelling the scent of sunscreen that still lingered even after Richie’s shower. Richie tightened his arm around Eddie’s shoulders, leaning down to kiss his forehead.

For what seemed like the hundredth time since arriving in Derry, Eddie felt like crying. He almost felt ashamed for his meltdown the previous night; even though he’d kept it to himself, he felt guilty for ever doubting what he and Richie had. Getting married didn’t matter, it never did, and Eddie couldn’t believe he’d let something so trivial interfere with his relationship. Married or not, they were so in love, and they had something special.

“We should get going. Don’t wanna keep the gang waiting.”

Eddie just nodded in response, and they climbed off the swing and made their way to their rental car, Richie climbing into the driver’s side. 

Richie’s mom waved to them from the kitchen window as they pulled out of the driveway, and Eddie smiled and waved in response.

“She’s sure she doesn’t want to go to dinner with us?” Eddie asked.

Most of their friends were staying at the Derry townhouse, but he and Richie were staying with Mrs. Tozier. Richie’s father had unfortunately passed away a few years before, and when she’d heard that her son and his boyfriend were coming in for a visit she was so excited to have people in the house again that they just didn’t have the heart to turn her down.

Eddie’s mom was still puttering around Derry somewhere as well, but they decidedly did not tell her that they were going to be back in town.

“Guess not,” Richie just responded with a shrug as he turned off of his street and onto the main road. “Her loss. I mean, she’s missing out on the finest wining and dining in southeastern Maine.”

Eddie snorted in response. They were going to dinner at Jade of the Orient, which, to be fair, was actually one of the nicer establishments Derry had to offer, but that wasn’t saying much.

“Oh come on,” Richie continued. “Is there really anywhere else you’d rather go?”

“In Derry? That’s giving me some pretty limited choices.”

“Not even just in Derry. There’s nowhere else on the planet you’d rather go for dinner than a Chinese restaurant in a small town in Maine.”

“That was ‘Chinese’ in quotation marks, right?”

“Hey, it’s authentic. The Derry Travel Guide says so.”

“Right, because they’re the ultimate authority on the authenticity of Asian cuisine. Also, where the hell are you going? You missed the turn.”

Eddie craned his neck around to look at the street Richie really  _ should  _ have turned on if he wanted to take the fastest route to the restaurant.

“Just taking a quick detour,” Richie responded easily.

Eddie heaved an exaggerated sigh, slamming his head back against the headrest and squeezing his eyes shut.

“Ugghhh… come on, babe. People are waiting for us. This is not the time for one of your spontaneous road trips.”

“I just want to show you something,” Richie laid a hand on Eddie’s knee, but kept his eyes trained ahead on the road. “It’ll be really fast, I promise.”

Eddie humphed again in response, but didn’t argue. He rested his head against the window, watching the houses give way to more trees as they drove further from the center of town. He turned to look at Richie curiously, but Richie was still watching the road ahead of him intently. It was a bit odd; Richie knew these roads like the back of his hand, but he looked almost as nervous as when they’d driven in San Francisco on vacation last year.

Eddie was debating on whether to ask Richie if something was wrong when he finally pulled the car over and put it in park, shutting off the engine.

“We’re here,” he announced, but still wasn’t looking at Eddie, and his voice shook ever so slightly.

Eddie peered over the dashboard inquisitively.

“The Kissing Bridge?” Eddie asked incredulously. “Richie, what are you… what are we…”

He exhaled in a small laugh, shaking his head back and forth at Richie’s antics. Of course he would make them late to dinner to drag Eddie all the way out to the fucking Kissing Bridge of all places.

“Just… just come with me, okay?”

Eddie opened his mouth to respond, but Richie was already jumping out of the car, so Eddie just sighed and opened up his door as well. Richie had quickly come around to his side of the car, and as soon as Eddie closed the door, he felt Richie grab his hand with a distinctly sweaty palm. He began to pull Eddie across the bridge, but was still aggressively avoiding eye contact. 

Eddie allowed his boyfriend to pull him past the rows and rows of names and initials that were carved into the wood, and although he hadn’t thought of this place in years, he did find himself feeling somewhat nostalgic. Everyone in Derry knew about the Kissing Bridge; it was probably the closest thing they had to a tourist attraction in their one-horse town. And it came complete with an ambiguous origin story: there was much debate over how exactly the bridge came to be the symbol that it was, but everybody seemed to agree that any couple who was truly in love had to immortalize themselves in the bridge.

Eddie remembered being young and imagining one day he would come to the bridge with someone he loved and they would carve their initials in together. It all seemed a bit silly as an adult, but now that he was back here, he almost felt like a teenager again, wanting to steal away to the bridge with his lover in the middle of the night.

Richie stopped abruptly, pulling Eddie out of his thoughts. He turned to face Eddie, finally looking him in the eye and offering a tentative smile. He was absolutely brimming with energy, almost vibrating in place, and he squeezed Eddie’s hand hard before releasing it and placing both hands on Eddie’s shoulders.

“Richie…” Eddie blinked up at him in confusion, perplexed by the nervous energy that was radiating off of him. “What are we doing here?”

“Eddie,” Richie said breathlessly, reaching a hand up to cup his cheek briefly before quickly dropping it back to his shoulder. “Baby.”

Eddie cocked an eyebrow in question. Richie took a deep breath, like he was trying to prepare himself to jump at the quarry, then slowly turned Eddie in place so that he was facing the side of the bridge.

“Just… just go and look at the top rung. Right in front of you.”

Eddie started to question him, but Richie just placed a hand between his shoulder blades and gave him a slight push forward, so he complied and went to look at the second rung of the bridge.

His eyes ran over various carvings: initials, names, letters in hearts. Some looked like fresh carvings, some looked like they were older than he was. He found himself wondering for the first time just how old this bridge was.

“You know,” he muttered as he continued to scan the wood. “It would help if I knew what exactly I was looking f-”

The words died in his throat when he saw it. He had actually stopped breathing, but it was completely involuntary. It was like he had forgotten how, and he didn’t remember again until he reached forward with one hand to brush his fingers over the grooves in the wood. He just had to confirm that it was real, it was really there, and he wasn’t imagining it. Once he felt the rough wood under his fingertips, he drew in a shaky breath, and his vision began to blur with tears. He blinked furiously, trying to keep his eyes clear. 

Right there, in the wood, nestled amongst a dozen other carvings, was ‘R + E’. It was faded, weathered by the Maine climate, but still there.

“Richie,” Eddie sniffed, tracing over the letters with his fingers. “When… when did you do this?”

“The summer after 8th grade,” he heard Richie respond from behind him. “Right after you broke your arm. I came back earlier this week to make sure it was still there.”

Eddie smiled through his tears, still sniffling, captivated by the way dust particles were dancing in the rays of sunlight that were peaking through the slats of the bridge. Right now, this felt like the only thing in the world that mattered: this carving, in this bridge, in the early evening sunlight that was shining on this stupid, miserable little Maine town.

“Eddie…”

Eddie reached up to wipe the tears from his cheeks, then started to slowly turn back to his boyfriend.

“Richie, this is just… what are you doing?”

His brow immediately furrowed in confusion at the sight in front of him. Richie was down on one knee, looking up at Eddie through his glasses that were reflecting the sunlight behind Eddie.

Eddie huffed slightly in annoyance, but still smiled down at his boyfriend. He was joking around, obviously. Of course Richie couldn’t let a serious moment settle for even a minute before breaking the tension with a joke. 

“Richie, come on. Get up. They’re still wait-”

Richie cut him off, not by saying anything, but by reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small black box.

Eddie had to clap a hand over his mouth to stifle an audible gasp. His eyes went wide as he watched Richie open the box to reveal a silver ring inside, which immediately captured the sunlight and shined where it was nestled in the silky white interior of the box.

“Richie…” Eddie pulled his hand away from his mouth and ran it through his hair, trying to wrap his head around the situation in front of him. His heart was pounding, and his vision was once again blurry with tears.

“Edward Kaspbrak,” Richie stated, his voice surprisingly level for the current context. “Will you marry me?”

“Richie,” Eddie choked out, tears now spilling out of his eyes. He wanted to somehow carve this entire moment into the bridge, leave it immortalized here forever.

He took a moment to simply bask in it: his boyfriend down on one knee, offering him a beautiful ring and asking him to be his husband, their initials in the bridge behind him that Richie had carved more than ten years prior, the proof of their undying love completely surrounding him.

He was so busy just revelling in everything that he hadn’t realized he had yet to actually answer Richie’s question until he noticed Richie shift uncomfortably on the knee that was still pressed down into the bridge.

“Yes,” he finally gasped out through his tears. “Yes, of course I’ll marry you.”

Richie’s face broke into a brilliant smile, and he jumped happily to his feet. Before Eddie even knew what was happening, Richie had swept him up off of his feet and was spinning him around.

“He said yes!” Richie shouted up into the sky, setting a giggling Eddie back down on his feet.

Eddie eagerly accepted the kiss that Richie planted on him, then buried his face in Richie’s shoulder as another wave of happy tears came over him. Maybe it was the soft light of golden hour all around them, but the whole thing almost felt like a dream. He almost felt like he was floating, and he needed to hold onto Richie’s broad shoulders just to ground himself.

He barely noticed Richie taking his left hand until he was sliding the ring onto his finger. The cold metal was almost a shock to his system, but once the ring was all the way on his finger, all he could think about was just how perfectly it fit, and just how right it looked on his hand.

He set his hand back on Richie’s shoulder, then slid it around to the back of his neck to pull him down for a long, deep kiss.

“Mmmm,” Richie hummed in contentment against his mouth, and Eddie smiled as he pulled away to look up at him, both of their eyes glassy, but full of love.

“I suppose we should actually get to the restaurant now,” Richie said after a long moment of just looking deeply into each other’s eyes.

Eddie chuckled and ran a hand through his hair. He’d almost completely forgotten about the restaurant and all the people who were still waiting for them.

He allowed Richie to lead him back to where the car was parked, and then his  _ fiancé  _ opened the door for him and gave him a quick kiss before shutting him inside and jogging back around to his side.

The sun was now setting, and they were driving off into the orange and red glow that was shining through the trees. Eddie raised his left hand up in front of the windshield, taking the time to really observe the ring in a way he hadn’t bothered to before. It was definitely on the modest side; just a plain silver band with a thin strip of diamonds embedded in it.

“Do you like it?” Richie was glancing over at him, a tentative smile on his face.

“Richie, it’s beautiful,” Eddie responded earnestly, wiggling his fingers slowly and watching the way the diamonds captured the late-evening light coming in through the windshield.

It really was the perfect ring for Eddie: elegant but understated.

“Thank god. I was about ten seconds away from getting a backup ring in case you didn’t like that one, but thankfully Bill talked me out of it. Plus Bev and Audra both approved that one.”

Eddie chuckled slightly at the idea of Richie buying a second ring, but stopped when the implication dawned on him.

“Wait a minute, did everybody know that we were gonna get engaged on this trip?”

“Well… they knew I was going to propose, yeah.”

“What, you didn’t actually think I was gonna say no, did you?”

Eddie couldn’t help but laugh a bit at the absurdity of the idea, but Richie only glanced over at him sheepishly.

“I mean… I was certainly hoping you wouldn’t.”

He’d just pulled into the parking lot of Jade of the Orient and shut off the engine, leaving them in silence in front of the neon lights of the restaurant. Eddie reached over and placed his hand firmly on Richie’s thigh.

“Richie,” Eddie said softly, but seriously. “Of course I said yes. I… I think I’ve always known, since the night you first told me you loved me. I knew then that I wanted to marry you. You’re… you’re it for me, Richie.”

Eddie choked on the last few words as tears started welling up in his eyes once again.

Richie only looked down at Eddie’s hand splayed out over his thigh, specifically at the ring he’d had tucked away in the back of their tupperware drawer for months that was now snugly resting on Eddie’s finger.

He placed a hand on top of Eddie’s, giving it a small squeeze.

“You’re it for me too, baby.”

Eddie quickly sniffed his tears back and leaned over the center console towards Richie, who met him halfway for a kiss.

He almost felt like he was having an out-of-body experience as Richie led him by the hand into the restaurant. The only sensations he could take in were the bright lights of the restaurant, the hum of the crickets in the nightfall, and the warmth of Richie’s large hand holding his smaller one.

Richie gave their name to the hostess when they got inside, and she led them to a private room. Eddie could hear some chatter from their friends that was quickly hushed when they stepped through the doorway.

Richie released his hand, but only to grab his wrist, holding it up high and displaying the ring in front of them.

“He said yes!” Richie shouted so loudly that the hostess flinched, and Eddie laughed as he buried his face in his free hand in embarrassment.

There was an uproarious cheer from their friends, and Stan and Bill simultaneously popped the champagne bottles they had been strategically holding.

Eddie found himself swarmed; he accepted the glass of champagne that was handed to him, but through the blur of people hugging him, kissing him on the cheek, and gushing congratulations, it was a good ten minutes before he was even able to take the first sip. He downed the glass quickly, but as soon as he pulled it away from his lips it was being filled up again.

It was a damn good thing they were in a private room, because their always boisterous group was even more animated when in celebration. Even the arrival of food didn’t shut them up; they continued to talk and laugh even through scarfing down Kung Pao Chicken and slamming back drink after drink.

Eddie’s glass was kept full all night; he’d lost count of how many glasses of champagne he’d had, but he was definitely quite tipsy. He stayed tucked snugly into his fiance’s side, letting Richie hold him close, keeping him on his feet when he felt unsteady.

Eventually they all settled down at the table, and Eddie ended up comfortably on Richie’s lap as everyone drilled Stan and Patty, the only married couple of the group, for their tips and tricks.

“Well, I would say it’s important to keep the romance alive,” Stan said dryly. “But I feel like that’s wasted advice for Richie.”

Richie let out an exaggerated gasp in mock offence.

“Why Stanley, you have offended my delicate sensibilities! Of course I maintain romance with my darling Eddie.”

Eddie nearly choked on his sip of champagne, shaking his head as he pulled the glass away from his mouth.

“Hey!” Richie huffed indignantly, pinching Eddie’s thigh playfully. “I keep things romantic! I even brought you breakfast in bed this morning.”

“He threw a frozen waffle at me,” Eddie clarified for the group, and Richie shushed him and tried to clap a hand over his mouth.

“Don’t listen to him, he’s drunk,” Richie insisted, but Eddie just pushed his hand away and continued.

“It wasn’t even toasted. It was still frozen.”

Richie silenced him with a kiss that was met with ‘awwwwws’ from about half of their group and groans from the other half.

The party was starting to wind down; waitstaff were clearing away empty dishes and the tables were littered with empty champagne bottles. Everyone had broken off into smaller groups to have more low-key conversations, but they quickly reconvened when Richie’s mom came in.

“Mrs. Tozier!!” they all shouted in unison, swarming her like they used to when they would all go to Richie’s house after school. 

She happily hugged them all and eventually made her way to Richie and Eddie, who she hugged tightly at the same time, one arm around each of them, and pressed a long kiss to Eddie’s cheek.

“There’s my new son!” she exclaimed as she pulled away, cupping Eddie’s smiling face in her hands. “Now let’s see that ring!”

Eddie raised up his left hand and she cooed over the ring a bit before pulling him in for another tight hug and kiss.

“You don’t know how hard it was for me to not say anything the whole time you were here. I just wanted to scream, ‘Say yes!’ every time I saw your face.”

Eddie laughed and leaned into her warmth. Maggie Tozier had always embraced him with open arms, from when he was just a tiny, nervous kid who always wanted to play with her son, to when Richie had re-introduced Eddie as his boyfriend.

“Do you want something to eat? Or some champagne? I think there’s still a bottle around here somewhere,” Eddie offered, but Maggie just shook her head and pulled away.

“I’m not staying, I just wanted to stop by and say congratulations to my two beautiful boys.”

She took Richie’s hand in one of hers and Eddie’s hand in the other, smiling at both of them. Richie smiled back at her adoringly, but Eddie’s brow furrowed in confusion.

“You came all the way out here just to say congratulations? And now you’re just gonna turn around and go back to the house?”

Maggie shook her head slightly and laughed.

“Oh heavens no, I’m not going back to the house tonight. I’m gonna go stay the night with my sister. I haven’t seen her in a while.”

She leaned forward and said the next part in a stage whisper.

“My son just got engaged. I’m assuming there will be things going on in his room tonight that are not for a mother’s ears.”

Eddie felt a massive rush of blood shoot up to his face; he could feel his cheeks burn and he was sure he must be red as an apple, but Richie only nodded casually next to him.

“Yep, that sounds about right,” Richie responded, and Maggie squeezed both of their hands and gave them each a final kiss before saying goodbye to the rest of the gang and taking off.

After she’d left, Eddie released the breath he hadn’t even realized he’d been holding. His vision swam slightly as he fought through both the haze of alcohol and the downright trauma of having talked to his fiancé’s mother about sex.

Luckily Richie led him back over to the table and sat Eddie down on his lap, where he remained comfortably for the rest of the evening. Shortly after Richie’s mother’s visit, the hostess came back with a bowl of fortune cookies, clearly trying to signal to them to wrap up their party. They had a bit of fun reading their fortunes to each other and making jokes, and then when the bill came both Eddie and Richie reached for it but their friends swatted their hands away.

“Well in that case, I suppose I’m going to take my fiancé home now,” Richie announced, pushing Eddie off his lap so he could stand up. “Thank you guys for a fun night.”

Eddie mumbled something in agreement. Now that he was back on his feet, the alcohol was really going to his head. As much as he loved his friends, he was glad to see an end to the night so he could go home and spend the night with his new fiancé.

And as much as he’d been embarrassed in the moment, he now felt extremely grateful to Maggie for giving them the house to themselves for the night. He’d been sitting on Richie’s lap all evening, and occasionally he would accidentally-on-purpose shift in a way that would grind his ass into Richie’s groin, making Richie dig his fingers into Eddie’s hip in response.

Everyone cheered as they walked out, but Eddie hardly heard them. He was already focused on Richie, gazing up at him as Richie led him by the hand out of the restaurant and into the parking lot.

The night air was warm, but offered a gentle breeze as they made their way back to the rental car and climbed back inside, Richie once again getting into the drivers side. Normally Eddie would insist upon driving every other time, but now he was drunk and happy and didn’t care about anything other than being alone with Richie.

As soon as they were in the privacy of the car, Eddie practically launched himself into Richie’s lap, attaching his lips to his fiancé’s. Richie made a small noise of surprise, but quickly placed his hands on Eddie’s sides, holding him in place and kissing him back happily.

Eddie parted his lips and pushed his tongue into Richie’s mouth, but Richie only allowed it for a moment before he placed a hand on Eddie’s chest and pushed him away. Eddie whined and tried to move back in for another kiss, but Richie just manhandled him back into the passenger seat.

“Come on baby, let’s get home. We don’t wanna have our first time as a newly engaged couple to be in the parking lot of a Chinese restaurant.”

Eddie grumbled in response, but he buckled his seatbelt and allowed Richie to start driving them home.

They’d barely pulled out of the parking lot before Eddie’s hand found its way onto Richie’s thigh, stroking back and forth as Richie struggled to focus on the road in front of him. He drove faster and faster through the dark streets of Derry, a white knuckle grip on the steering wheel as Eddie continued to stroke teasingly on his inner thigh, moving closer and closer to his zipper.

By the time Richie was pulling into the driveway, Eddie was fully palming over his groin, where there was already a bulge growing. As soon as he shut off the engine, Richie finally turned to Eddie, grabbing him and pulling him into a searing kiss, immediately shoving his tongue into his fiancé’s mouth. Eddie moaned happily and melted into him, and Richie smiled into the kiss, stroking Eddie’s soft cheek with his thumb.

They barely even made it to Richie’s bedroom. As soon as they were through the front door of the house, they were all over each other, hands and mouths roaming, shoving each other against walls and tearing clothes off along the way.

At one point Eddie had dropped to his knees in the hallway to mouth wetly at the bulge in Richie’s pants, where he was already fully erect and straining against the confines of his zipper. Richie had to fight the urge to shove down his pants and push into the wet heat of Eddie’s mouth right there in the hallway outside his mother’s bedroom, but he resisted the desire and hauled Eddie back to his feet. Eddie didn’t make it easy on him though, pushing up Richie’s t-shirt on his way back up and distracting him by licking and sucking at Richie’s nipples.

They hadn’t had sex since they’d left Chicago; Eddie hadn’t wanted to do anything in Richie’s bedroom with his mom right next door.

Right now, Eddie wouldn’t care if they were in a fucking church. He felt almost ravenous for Richie,like his whole body was pulsating from pure want.

By the time they actually made it to the bedroom, they were both in their underwear. Richie lifted Eddie up and tossed him easily onto the bed, where he quickly wriggled out of his briefs and settled up against the pillows while Richie dug around in their suitcase for lube.

Richie would normally take his time fingering Eddie; he loved taking it slow and watching Eddie gradually come apart on his fingers. And usually Eddie would allow him to do so with little impatience, but tonight he just couldn’t handle the anticipation. He was tipsy and still buzzing with the adrenaline of the events of the day: from the hours of playing like kids at the quarry, to the proposal from the love of his life, to the celebration with all of his closest friends, and even the sexual energy between them from the car ride.

Eddie grabbed Richie’s wrist, guiding his fingers and forcefully encouraging him to hurry up with the prep, almost using Richie’s hand like a toy to open himself up.

Richie would have taken longer to stretch him out, but almost as soon as he got the third finger in, Eddie was leaning forward and grabbing at the hem of Richie’s boxers, trying to push them down from his angle.

Eddie let out an inadvertent whine when Richie pulled his fingers out, but it was only for Richie to rid himself of his boxers. He immediately took his place back between Eddie’s legs, his chest heaving, trying to calm his breathing. No matter how many times he and Eddie were intimate, it would still get his heart rate going beyond just normal sexual arousal; it was like cliff jumping at the quarry every single time.

Eddie surprised him by grabbing Richie’s biceps and rolling them over so that Eddie was on top, straddling Richie with his muscular thighs that had a fresh tan after today.

He greased up Richie’s cock for him, and Richie had to fight to not blow his load just from the tight grip of Eddie’s hand stroking up and down him a few times, but then Eddie was lining himself up and sinking down onto him.

“Oh,  _ Eddie _ ,” he moaned out as he felt his bare cock slowly and steadily being enveloped in Eddie’s tight heat.

They’d pretty much stopped using condoms by this point in their relationship; they were monogamous and they had built a level of trust on both their romantic relationship and their prior friendship. It was something that neither of them took lightly. Even though it had been years now since they had used a condom, they both considered it to be a powerful expression of love and trust every time they had unprotected sex.

At first Eddie wrapped both hands around the headboard when he first started moving up and down on Richie’s cock, but once he picked up the pace he let go with one hand and slammed it down onto Richie’s chest instead, wanting to feel the warmth of Richie’s skin under his palm.

Richie let out a gasp at the unexpected feeling of cold metal against the heat of his sweaty skin, and he looked down to see the engagement ring on Eddie’s finger pressed firmly down into his chest.

Initially Eddie halted his movements, but when he followed Richie’s gaze down to the ring, he only pressed down further into his chest, digging the ring into Richie’s skin as he started bouncing again.

“Oh  _ God _ , Eddie,” Richie reached up to cup Eddie’s cheek as he thrust up to meet him, rubbing his thumb along Eddie’s soft, parted lips, and feeling every hot pant that came out of Eddie’s mouth on the pad of his thumb.

“Richie,” Eddie hissed in response, his eyelids fluttering closed as he continued to move up and down.

Richie noticed Eddie’s arm starting to shake where it was holding him up on Richie’s chest, and he took the opportunity to wrap his arms around Eddie and roll them over, still buried deep inside of Eddie’s tight heat.

Eddie gasped sharply, caught off guard by the sudden change in position, but he didn’t even have a moment to gather himself before Richie began fucking into him at easily double the pace they had been going when Eddie was on top.

Eddie threw his head back, his mouth falling open in a perfect ‘O’ shape as his eyes squeezed shut in pleasure. One hand dug neatly trimmed nails into Richie’s shoulder, while the other scraped long red lines down the length of Richie’s back. Richie took advantage of the smooth expanse of tanned skin in front of him and attached his lips to Eddie’s neck, quickly sucking a hickey there.

“Yes, yes,  _ yes _ ,” Eddie panted up into the ceiling with each thrust. “Yes, oh fuck,  _ right there _ . God, Richie, it’s so good.”

“ _ Holy shit _ , Eddie, baby, I’m so close,” Richie gasped hotly onto the sweat-damp skin of Eddie’s neck.

Richie grabbed Eddie’s left hand in his right, pressing it down into the mattress and lacing their fingers together, feeling the cool metal of the ring between his fingers. His other hand came back up to once again cup Eddie’s face and run a thumb over his lips.

Eddie opened his eyes and parted his lips, taking Richie’s thumb into his mouth to suck gently as he looked up at Richie with big, soulful brown eyes.

Richie had already been close, and that did it for him. He came hard inside of Eddie, barely having the coordination to wrap a hand around Eddie’s dick to stroke him to completion as well.

After a couple of years of having unprotected sex, Eddie had come to accept the fact that he was indeed a hopeless cumslut, and the feeling of Richie painting his insides with hot cum in combination with the sensation of Richie jacking him off was enough to push him over the edge. He came hard on his own chest and stomach, some of it hitting Richie’s chest and lingering in the hair there as well.

They both shivered through the final waves of their orgasms, then Richie collapsed on top of him, nuzzling into Eddie’s neck as Eddie wrapped his limp arms around him.

They laid there for a long moment, just catching their breath and basking in the afterglow of their first time together as an engaged couple. 

Eventually Richie pressed a kiss to the hickey he’d left on Eddie’s neck, then pushed himself up and pulled out of Eddie. Eddie whined softly at the feeling, but Richie grabbed his hands and pressed tiny, comforting kisses to his knuckles, paying special attention to his left ring finger.

He leaned over the side of the bed and grabbed his discarded shirt, using it to wipe down both himself and Eddie.

“Mmmmm…” Eddie hummed with sleepy contentment at the feeling of Richie cleaning him off. He always felt so cared for after he and Richie made love.

Richie went and tossed the shirt in their suitcase, then climbed back into bed, sitting up against the headboard. He grabbed Eddie’s limp, boneless body and pulled him up against him so that his back was up against Richie’s chest and his head was tucked under Richie’s chin.

Eddie hummed happily as he felt Richie’s sturdy chest behind his back and Richie’s strong arms wrapped around him. He felt Richie curl his hand around Eddie’s smaller one, lifting it up and stroking over the ring, both of them looking at it adoringly.

“I can’t wait to marry you, babe,” Richie mumbled into the top of his head.

“Me either. Let’s do it tomorrow.”

They both laughed, Eddie felt his entire body shaking from the vibrations in Richie’s chest right behind him.

“You’re gonna be my husband,” Richie mused, pressing kisses to Eddie’s hair.

“Yep,” Eddie responded contentedly, his eyelids starting to droop with sleepiness. “Gonna be Edward Tozier.”

It had been a mindless, post-sex, pre-sleep expression, and Eddie didn’t even fully realize what he’d said until he felt Richie tense up behind him.

Richie shifted Eddie slightly, placing a hand under his chin and tilting his head up so he could look into his eyes.

“You… want to take my last name?”

Eddie bit his lip, trying to fight the urge to avert his gaze in discomfort.

“I mean… uh, yeah. Unless you don’t want me to, it’s fine if you don’t.”

“No, no, no,” Richie responded quickly, stroking a hand through Eddie’s dark hair. “Of course I want you to take my name. I just didn’t think…”

He trailed off, but Eddie understood where he was going with that train of thought. Eddie was so ferociously independent, he seemed like someone who would want to keep his own identity.

“I know, I know. It’s just… I always hated my last name. Not the name itself, just… what came along with it, I guess? Like, it never really felt like it was  _ my  _ name. It was my mother’s name, an extension of her. I couldn’t say Eddie Kaspbrak anywhere in town without immediately just being… reduced to nothing but Sonia Kaspbrak’s son. And even after I left and put this place behind me, it still feels like it’s followed me everywhere. Every time I say it, every time I sign it somewhere, there’s still a part of me that always thinks someone is going to say ‘Oh, Sonia Kaspbrak’s boy?’”

He shuddered slightly at the thought, and Richie tightened his grip around him, stroking a comforting hand up and down his back, giving him the encouragement to continue.

“But Tozier…” Eddie eventually began again. “That name will always be warm to me. Not just you, but your family too. I was always so welcome in your home, more than in mine sometimes. I… I always kind of wished I was a Tozier, even when we were kids. I wanted to be a part of your family.”

Richie could feel tears well up in his eyes at the thought of little Eddie wishing he could stay at Richie’s house rather than having to go back home to his mother. Even back then, long before they were a couple, even before Richie had fully realized the extent of his romantic feelings for Eddie, something deep within him had always wanted to protect Eddie and keep him safe. He’d always wished Eddie could just stay with him forever, and now he was finally getting his wish.

Richie looked down to see Eddie’s eyes were glassy with tears as well, and he tightened his grip around Eddie’s body, making Eddie give him a watery smile in response. He bent down to give Eddie a soft kiss.

“Eddie Tozier,” he whispered against Eddie’s lips, and they both shivered slightly as the name hung in the air between them.

“Eddie Tozier,” Eddie repeated definitively, although his lips trembled against Richie’s.

Eddie tucked his head back under Richie’s chin, and they stayed just like that for a while, just holding each other and basking in the warmth of each other’s bodies and the humming of insects coming from just outside the window.

Eventually Richie disentangled himself from Eddie once again, this time just to shut the light off and deposit his glasses on the nightstand before climbing back into bed and pulling the covers over both of them. He immediately wrapped his arms back around Eddie and pulled him back into his chest; they always slept like this, curled up with each other and cuddling. Richie often wondered how he’d ever been able to sleep any other way.

Eddie fell asleep quickly, as he often did after sex, and for a while Richie just held him and listened to him breathe deeply, almost unable to believe his good fortune. It had never ceased to amaze him that Eddie had actually become his boyfriend after years of Richie wanting him, and now Eddie wasn’t just his boyfriend, he was his fiancé, and soon to be his husband.

He noted that Eddie hadn’t taken the engagement ring off; it was still firmly on his finger where his hand was curled up on Richie’s bare chest, and Richie watched the way the moonlight glinted off the diamonds.

“Eddie Tozier,” he whispered into the darkness, and he would have sworn he felt Eddie smile where his face was buried in Richie’s neck.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope it was everything you wanted and more! Sorry again that it took so long, but the good news is the next installment in the series is already finished. I'll post it on Thursday.  
> As for moving forward, I currently have two more installments in the works, one is kind of a fluff piece and one is a smut piece that I'm kind of working on simultaneously, but I have now gone back to my job at the pharmacy so I don't have as much time to work on writing. It's still a nice way to unwind when I get home at the end of the day though, so I will still be continuing with this series and I am still open to any and all suggestions!


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